At the start of the season, a 24-hour television channel dedicated to the Premier League was launched in the Philippines.

I don’t know exactly how much it is worth in the grand scheme of a TV deal which will generate in excess of €6billion to the clubs who populate the top flight over the next three years.

But, of the €2.66billion that will come from overseas rights, around €1.1billion of it will be paid by Asia.

That equates to 27 cents for every man, woman and child on the continent.

Now is the time for our Premier League footballers to give ­something back. And I’m not talking about an exciting game or a spectacular goal.

The people of the Philippines are faced with a major ­humanitarian crisis in the ­aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan. It was originally estimated that 10,000 people had been killed by the 200mph plus winds and the floods that followed.

While that number has now been drastically reduced, it is believed that 11 million people have been affected and that more than 675,000 have lost their homes.

You can be sure that millions of ordinary people around the world will answer the appeal for aid.

Pensioners will put a few quid in the pot, despite being worried how they are going to heat their homes this winter. Kids will send their pocket money after being traumatised by the terrible scenes of devastation.

And I am sure, too, that ­individual football players, earning hundreds of thousands of pounds a week, will find it in their hearts to make donations without feeling the need to court publicity.

Top-flight clubs spent €2bn on wages last year – with most of it going to players. And you can be sure that figure will escalate again after the new TV deal.

Even with my basic maths, I can calculate that even a five per cent donation from a single month’s salary would raise €8m.

That would put a significant dent in the United Nations’ appeal for €227m to provide food, water and shelter to the people of the Philippines.

I don’t believe the economic crisis that has enveloped the world in recent years should be used as a stick to beat our players with.

If a hospital or a school is closed, that’s down to the Government and has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that a striker is earning €240,000 a week to kick a bag of leather around a patch of grass.

This is our chance to show that part of the world that it is seen as more than a money cow to be milked dry. What a fantastic gesture it would be if the ­Professional ­Footballers’ Association urged their members to make a donation to such a worthy cause.

I know that the PFA already have their own charitable causes to finance, as will every club in the country. But this is an opportunity for our footballers to come together to show their humanity.